3 comments about Ansel Adams: The National Park Service Photographs.

1. too small to fully enjoy the pix, poor quality prints.



2. Anyone who doesn't know a lot about Ansel Adams but is interested in learning more about his work will appreciate and enjoy this cleverly organized pictorial. Structured by national parks, the reader will see many wonderful pictures, some classics, that will surely create a better impression as to what type of pictures Adams takes. A great gift book as well.



3. This wee little book (4 inch by 4 inch format) dispels the notion that the work of Ansel Adams can only be appreciated in a coffee table book. Organized into 10 sections by location (Zion National Park, Yellowstone, etc.) and peoples (Native Americans and Their Lands), it shows Adams's work out west in our great national places like Grand Canyon and the Boulder Dam. The great appeal of this little book is that these fabulous black and white images retain their beauty and mystery even though reduced in size. I can, and I have, carried it with me throughout the house, or on a walk with the dog, or have thumbed through it while sipping a cup of coffee. It is well worn and well loved. And now I am going to order one for my cousin who will move out to Montana with her new husband.

2 comments about The Gothic Image: Religious Art in France of the Thirteenth Century (Icon Editions Series).

1. The Gothic Image captures through art and architecture the spirit and elan of the medieval renaissance in ways histories and biographies cannot. Unlike today, where contemporary art and architecture either may or may not mimic our age, the Gothic Image is an imprint of its time and place. Male leaves few artifacts unturned, and explores in so many different facets of the polysemy of its age. A must for every medievalist, and gem for artists, theologians, architects, and "builders" of meaning. This highly critical reviewer gives it full accolades, and recommends all interested parties to grab this reprint before it too fades from view!



2. I can think of no better introduction, as well as comprehensive review, of the medieval renaissance than this wonderful synthesis of medieval art and medieval sacramentalism, wherein the whole universe, from stellar constellations, to the gargoyle atop cathedral buttresses, comes alive in all its many dimensions. This book, long out of print, was the gem of my undergraduate work in medieval history, philosophy, art, and architecture. The price is a bit steep, but this one book can remain a perpetual resource for insight, understanding, and knowledge of a different time and place -- so foreign and alien to today's historicity, but that captures the imagination and never lets go.

3 comments about Impressed by Light: British Photographs from Paper Negatives, 1840-1860 (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications).

1. With a lifetime of amateur photography, I'm ashamed to admit how totally ignorant I was of the true origins and evolution of photography as we know it. This book is a revelation in that regard. It is totally absorbing in its own right as it describes of a part of reasonably recent history. It is extremely well written, researched, documented and presented.I read every word of the text, spent hours pouring over the plates and find myself filled with respect for the people who did so much with so little! I'm now reading each biography with care. Next, I'll repeat the whole process! A treasure of words, knowledge and pictures!



2. It was great to read parts of this book before going to see the exhibit at the National Gallery here in DC. I was almost completely unfamiliar with Fox Talbot and the process he invented - calotypes - the forerunner of the common negative and print technique. The quality of the reporductions in the book is excellent compared with the actual prints in the exhibit although nothing can compare to seeing the exquisite detail in some of the larger prints that were hanging. ALso, compared with the size of the book and its quality the price is an absolute bargain. And I heartily agree with the comments by the other reviewer on the Amazon site.



3. Taylor has produced a new benchmark in the study of early photography. The text is cogent, the images carefully chosen and beautifully reproduced. Anyone interested in early British photography will find Schaaf's directory of photographers a great asset in itself.

No comments about Okavango: A Journey.

4 comments about Serge Normant/Metamorphosis.

1. I've been trying to build a small library of Photography Books especially of celebrities. This book is one of my favorites, almost every page had a very famous face and the photographs are fantastic. I thought that Serge Norman was a photographer, he is a hair dresser though. I actually think thats much nicer because the photos are a collection from many different eyes. Well worth the price! Photos range from black and white to color and have many famous celebs in photos I hadn't seen before, and then some I had. The quality as well is great. It's a lot of studio head, and mostly upper body shots.



2. This is a beautiful book to have on your coffee table. The size is nice a big, and the photographs are gorgeous, and wonderful to look at.
   
   All my house guests immediately pick up this book and start thumbing through it right away. The portraits are inspiring, and a joy to look at. It's a great conversation piece.



3. This is a Great book. Good size, hardcover, well desinged in and out. this book has tons of great photographs. Many famous models and actresses inside. If you love art, photography and beautyful women get this. The work is by top-notch photographers.



4. Any one interested in esthetic matters would love this book , are you in to beauty ?,Photography?,glamour?,graphic arts ???... even if your not, it would make an excelente coffe table book , not only because the great work of "Serge Normant" but because the work of some of the best Photographers and the words of Isabela Rosselini and Julia roberts.
   I truly enjoy it !!!

4 comments about Freud at Work: Lucian Freud in Conversation with Sebastian Smee.

1. magnificent view on the painter as painter.



2. Lucian Freud seems to gain in importance as a painter and as provocateur with every exhibition (or even frequent monograph) that appears - an d for good reason. Freud continues the tradition of figure painting, but clearly in his own language. His canvases are dense with detail of both body surface and psychic message. His tendency to find rather physically grotesque models (such as Leigh Bowery) and then paint canvas after canvas of those models, each work revealing even more bizarre statements about the sitter, has made him one of the most interesting painters of our day - and the gentleman is in his eighties!
   
   Infamously reclusive, Freud paints everyday, producing huge canvases and diptychs/triptychs with what appears to be the greatest of ease. But this very fine book allows us to see the artist's struggle with the creative muse by admitting us into the studio, courtesy of interviewers David Dawson and Sebastian Smee and photographers Dawson and Bruce Bernard, a friend and admirer now gone who captured some of the more sophisticated views of the artist at easel and photographic images of the models along side the painted version from Freud's hands, imagination and talent.
   
   Even for those who have collected museum catalogs and other monographs of the work of Lucian Freud these richly reproduced color photographs of Freud's paintings, given the new vantage of moving from the museum wall into the studio of origination with the additional images of the painter at work, constitute a superior art monograph of a current genius. The book is a conversation with a living genius, a painter who is far more interested in the paint and brush than he is with the observer - until now. Highly recommended for art collectors, educators, art students, and for those who remain fascinated with the human figure. Grady Harp, April 07



3. If the so-called School of London is your thing, here is a unique opportunity to watch the grand master at work. Not as good as a video, as possible with Auerbach and Bacon, but you take what you can get with the famously reclusive Freud, who clearly relishes enhancing his own reputation for eccentricity. (Remember the Snowdon photo of a wild-eyed Freud in his youth standing in front of his vintage Rolls Royce while wearing work clothes, like a scene right out of the 'sixties film Blow Up?)
   
   Here we see the work of two photographers, both old friends, who were allowed to capture Freud at work over more than 20 years, as he painted single- and multiple-subject portraits of widely varying sizes, with subjects ranging from The Queen to Leigh Bowery. Most interestingly, this format allows us to see a large number of his paintings at various stages of completion, thus showing his process in a reasonable amount of detail.
   
   Start with a sketch by Cezanne and adapt it to two models, then add a third, to make a contemporary painting. An earlier work starts with a nude model perched somewhat precariously in the cubbyhole high up on the wall. Her portrait on the easel below reveals just how brutal Freud can be in portraying the figure. When we saw the painting at Acquavella Gallery, we wondered if he actually had the model positioned in a nook in the wall. Now we know.
   
   We see how the oil portraits of subjects such as Lord Fellowes and David Hockney start with oil sketches and go through development to the finished painting. The talented young British artist Tai-Shan Schierenberg, whose portraits of John Mortimer and Lords Sainsbury and Carrington are already in the Tate and the National Portrait Gallery, is one of several artists who paint in a style very similar to Freud's, but close-ups of Freud's smaller portraits show the particuarly intensive reworking which make his work unique. He lays on paint heavily like Auerbach or Kossoff but with his own style, which, in the end, is inimitable.
   
   Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles in full dress uniform makes a glamorous subject. We also see Freud painting a horse and his dog Pluto, and his latest young female admirer. We also see Freud developing the plates for his masterful etchings, some of the best work being done in that medium today.
   
   A 30-page interview by David Dawson and Sebastian Smee is interspersed with the late Bruce Bernard's color photographs and David Dawson provides over 100 additional color photographs of the painter at work. It seems that there is a new monograph on Freud every eighteen months or so; this is one of the few works which focuses on his process.



4. If you are an admirer of Lucian Freud's work, this book should definitely have place in your library. It essentially comprises of 3 parts, opening with a very frank and insightful interview with Freud by Sebastian Smee. Followed by two collections of colour and b&w photographs by Bruce Bernard and David Dawson. They cover all aspects of Freud in the studio - photos of Freud larking around as a Henry Moore sculpture, works in progress (often including the model), finished paintings, his studio, his dogs, horses, foxcub, etching plates and resulting prints, series of WIP paintings showing the stages involved in their creation. Over 120 photos in all, with the vast majority being in colour. Lavishly illustrated.
   
   Smee, Bernard, and Dawson all had/have a close association with Freud and for me that's what makes this book so special. Throughout, Freud is just going about his business which is captured wonderfully by the photos. Bernard wanted to take carefully considered photos but Freud was having none of that, to the point of literally doing headstands. Bernard died in 2000, around the time that Freud was working on his Cezanne piece. Dawson picks up the plot from there, with photo's through to 2006.
   
   For anyone interested in Freud's painting process, either out of curiosity or as an artist, the photo's provide a wealth of information. The adage "A picture is worth a 1000 words" could not be more apt. The Work in Progress photos range from the raw drawing on canvas through to finished pieces. A number of WIP photos also include the model, allowing for comparison between the flesh and the oil. Etching plates and the resulting prints are also shown.
   
   Smee's interview reads like a couple of guys chatting over a pint down the pub. Over his career (and long may it continue!) Freud has met and hung out with numerous famous figures - Picasso, Giacometti, Bacon, Hirst, Auerbach, Bergmann, Balthus, Bowery, Queen Elizabeth II, even gambling with the notorious Kray Twins (1950/60 gangsters from London's east end). The interview is liberally populated with wonderful anecdotes. Freud also talks about the painters through history that he admires - Cezanne, Matisse, Corot, Chardin, Toulouse-Latrec and why. He touches upon living in London and anti-semitism, what led him to paint pictures of his mother, his grandfather Sigmund Freud, being sat at the bar and finding out that someone else was impersonating him - was he upset? Not really, he ended up painting the man's portrait.
   
   For someone who is reknowned for his privacy this book is exceptional. I'm sure Freud had a huge say in how the book would look and its contents. His pride in a job well done is most evident.
   
   If Freud is on your artistic radar, even as the merest blip, then do yourself a favour and own this book. Essential. 10 stars!

2 comments about New Chairs: Innovations in Design, Technology, and Materials.

1. I really love this book. Lots of process pictures-- prelim sketches, actual shots of steps in production, ad layouts, mock ups, etc. Also there are variety of designers and lots of innovative materials used. Especially like the chair made of drinking straws and the potty chair. I would also recommend Dish: International Design for the Home.



2. NEW CHAIRS: INNOVATIONS IN DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY AND MATERIALS is for any interior design library: it gathers over sixty of the most intriguing recent chairs created by designers around the world, pairing color photos with insights on new concepts, materials, and interpretations of structure, form and function. From inflatable and illuminated to hard, stacking chairs, NEW CHAIRS covers a range of options and provides interior designs with plenty of insights: perfect for contemporary interior design holdings!

3 comments about Slide Show: The Color Photographs of Helen Levitt.

1. I'm a big fan of Helen Levitt's work & I would love to give this book a 5 star review. Unfortunately her excellent photography is not presented well due to a poor print job. It seems that something went wrong in the scanning or pre press phase. All the photos are too light & the colours are washed out. This is not how Kodachrome should look. Some of the same images are printed in the German book titled 'Helen Levitt' & the difference is significant. The photos in the German book are much more accurate. Unfortunately this publication is no longer in print & hard to come by.
   
   I already knew that this book 'Slide Show' had poor reproductions as I had a chance to view a copy in the library. I bought it anyway because it is the only way to see some of her photos. I can't think what went wrong as Powerhouse seems to be a quality publisher & I own other photography books by them where the printing is fine.



2. The photos in this collection portray working people and poor people, people who are poorly dressed, people without air conditioning on hot summer days, people with ugly pets. The collection is oddly timeless; many photographs of New York can be dated to within a few years by looking at store awnings and, clothing styles, and haircuts, but not these. The people whom Levitt photographed are wearing clothing that was shapeless, ugly, and impossible to date in 1960, 1970, or 1980. With the exception of a couple of photos that show movie theater marquees in the background, nothing here can be dated.
   
   The photos are all the more remarkable because they flatter nobody. Did people give permission to be photographed, knowing how they would look? Had they given up long ago?
   
   Some of the photos give their subjects dignity, but not all. The book is sometimes cruel, sometimes funny.
   
   As an aside, I'd love to know where these photos were taken. Some look like East Harlem, but not a single photo shows a street sign, and I can't identify any of the stores.



3. This collection of Helen Levitt's brilliant color photographs is a treasure. I grew up in the city, and looking through this book, I was immediately transported back to the sights, smells, sounds and feelings of my childhood. These sensitive street scenes are wonderful social documents and pure poetry.

5 comments about Every Frame a Rembrandt: Art and Practice of Cinematography.

1. If you want to read a book about Andrew Laszlo then this is the book for you. The book takes you through projects he personally encountered and has little in the way of practical advise/techniques for the individual film maker developing their own projects. The book is easy to read and entertaining,although i was looking for a text book style read.



2. I first met Andy Laszlo some eight or ten years ago when he gave a two day seminar on Cinematography at NYU while I was director of the Department of Film, Video and Broadcasting at NYU's School of Continuing Education. One or two hundred students enrolled the first day, and as word spread across the campus of Andy's insights and trenchant comments, the attendance doubled on day two. When I learned of the existence of his book, I purchased it immediately. It is of immense value, not only to cinematographers, but also to directors, producers and writers: in short to anybody currently in film and video, or anybody who aspires to enter this field. It is immensely readable, written in clear, concise English and amply illustraed with some extraordinary examples, and a treasure trove of practicle knowledge. It is highly, highly recommended.



3. Cinematographer Andrew Laszlo has filmed more than thirty motion pictures, numerous television shows, TV movies and commercials in a career spanning more than fifty years. In Every Frame A Rembrandt: Art And Practice Of Cinematography Laszlo draws upon his immense expertise and experience to provide the reader with a comprehensive, single-volume introduction to this fundamental aspect of filmmaking. Laszlo' reveals the day-to-day activities of a cinematographer before, during and after filming a project, and discusses such critical and central issues as equipment, filmstocks, testing, labs, unions, agents, budget requirements, as well as working with directors, producers, and crews. Clearly and concisely written (and enhanced with additional material by Andrew Quicke), Andrew Laszlo's Every Frame A Rembrandt is a "must" for any aspiring cinematographer, and an essential reference title for professional and academic collections.



4. Laszlo's Hollywood career speaks for itself. Now, with great style and eloquence, he has set down a vital and helpful look at his field. As director of the University of Miami's Motion Picture Program, I can report that this book has proven useful and valuable to undergraduates and graduates. More than a technical manual, it will prove informative and rewarding to anyone who loves film.



5. The envelope please--best book by a cinematographer (or anyone else for that matter) about cinematography. Essential reading.

   There are books of theory, there are books of anecdotes, and there are books on how-to. This has the best of all.

   Andrew Laszlo, ASC is a wonderful storyteller, inspirational teacher, terrific writer as well as a distinguished cinematographer. His credits include Shogun, Owl and the Pussycat, One Potato-Two Potato, Newsies and many others.

   The book is a wealth of film criticism, tricks of the trade, technical details, wonderful anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories.

   For example, Laszlo discusses how he lit a scene from Rambo with one match, and then explains that a second one was hidden behind. He is funny and iconoclastic at times: "I hate dailies," or "Taking a stand in the film industry is not an everyday event." But behind every attention-grabbing statement is a complete and highly intelligent, articulate explanation.

   The book covers five of his films: "Southern Comfort, The Warriors, First Blood, Streets of Fire, and Innerspace." There is insight into the politics, diplomacy and psychology of filmmaking--dealing with directors, producers, studios and crew members. Through the writing, we watch a truly masterful problem solver, consummate professional and talented artist at work and reflecting upon that work.

   Interviews done by Andrew Quickie (Film and TV Professor at Regent Univ.) punctuate the chapters.

   I eagerly await the sequel to this book, perhaps to be called "Son of Rembrandt," or "Every Frame a Laszlo." Certainly there would be enough anecdotes and information from his 42 or more other films to fill a dozen standard volumes.

3 comments about Family Photographs, 1860-1945: A Guide to Researching, Dating and Contextuallising Family Photographs (Public Record Office Genealogists Guide).

1. I wish the second review had been posted before I bought this book! I was expecting a much more "manual" type book, with reference listings of various clues based on costume, photo type, etc. This book is written as a history, more or less, and you really have to page all through it to look for the information you need. There are no charts summarizing information whatsoever.
   
   As noted, it has a UK point of view, and although this often doesn't make a difference, sometimes it does. For example, one paragraph talks about the advent of photo postcards and how you can date them depending on what the postal code required to be printed on them. However, this would be UK postal code, not US, so for my purposes useless.
   
   One very aggravating aspect: although there are many, many photos throughout the book (at least one per page) they are not captioned with the date taken, but only referenced in the text, and often on a completely different page than the photo. I'm tempted to go through and note the dates on each photo, but I'm annoyed that I should have to do so. It seems a simple and obvious thing to omit, considering most readers are likely trying to date photos and would appreciate viewing the huge photo collection to link photo clues with date taken. They are printed in no chronological order either, so you can't even assume a photo placed later in the book was made after one that is placed earlier.



2. I found this book to be helpful in researching family photos, however it has drawbacks. The book is very detailed about the history of photgraphy but far more detailed than I needed for help to date photos. Also the examples are from the UK not the USA. I would search for another source that is geared for an American interested in dating family photos.



3. If you want to take a closer look at old photos handed down through generations, you also have to take a closer look at the history and nature of portrait photography itself - and there's no better resource to turn to than Family Photographs 1860-1945. Other books focus on the history of portraits with an eye to photographic insights or artistic analysis: this instead blends in important facts unique to genealogical research, such as changing family roles, changing fashions, and how to date and interpret images given little extra information. These aspects make FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS 1860-1945 an invaluable genealogist's tool.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch